


Riding Lightning

by angel_of_light, Necro (Charlie_M)



Series: Phoenix Rising [4]
Category: Mortal Kombat (Video Games), Mortal Kombat - All Media Types
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Gore, Corruption, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Reincarnation, Y'all are so fucked this time lol
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2019-11-14
Packaged: 2020-06-09 14:43:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19478032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angel_of_light/pseuds/angel_of_light, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charlie_M/pseuds/Necro
Summary: Once upon a time, a god fell in love with a goddess. Once upon a time, the goddess loved him back deeply. Once upon a time, the god of thunder and the goddess of love were together, and they were happy...before he killed her.Millennia later, Raiden feels an all-too-familiar aura begin to grow in Earthrealm. With darkness gathering on the realm's horizon, he approaches his reincarnated goddess only to find that the adage is true about love being blind.





	1. In the Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I'm working on this fic with talented and imaginative angel_of_light, who has been trading idea with me back forth for weeks now. Updates to this may be slow while we work on other fics, so please be patient! In the meantime, please check out her other work because she's a great writer!
> 
> -Charlie M

Raiden was meditating in the Sky Temple gardens. The sun radiated gentle warmth in the cloudless blue of the sky, opposing the coolness of the spring. The garden was already in full bloom, bushes spotted with blushing flowers and tree branches bowed under the weight of ripening fruit. Birds flickered about the quiet space, trading songs.

All was peaceful. In these moments, he could forget about Shinnok and his eternal lust for power and conquest. Raiden had a feeling that sooner than he would like, the balance between the realms would not last and he would have to fulfill his vows to protect the fledgling Earthrealm.

For the moment, however, he would enjoy what little time he had.

His estimation of that time was far overestimated. The tranquility shattered in a burst of light so bright, it would have blinded him even behind his closed eyelids had he been mortal. It came with force as well, knocked him back as if Fujin had sent a hurricane his way. Stunned, it took him a precious moment to recover before he leapt to his feet, prepared for a fight.

He found a woman instead. Resting on her knees on the stone. Stark naked.

Raiden averted his eyes as she tilted her head to blink at him. Too shocked by her presence and her state to think of an intelligent response, he could only gape at the ground.

“Oh, this is so lovely,” she crooned, “look at all these colors— and there’s so much sun…”

Her voice was soft and clear, lingering in the air like the chime of bells. From the corner of his eye, Raiden could see her head swiveling, taking in the whole of the garden. She spoke so casually, as if commenting on the weather— well, she was. But she was also nude and had appeared quite suddenly.

His mind grasped at the situation. There had been no warning of her arrival. No gathering of magic, no visual signs of a portal.

“Who are you?” he asked. “How did you get here?”

“Hmm? Oh!” she turned back to him with a smile. “I am Phoenix. I was just brought into being.”

Raiden froze as he deciphered her strange words. His surprise almost caused him to look at her again, just to confirm what he could already sense was true. At the last moment, he caught himself.

“You just came into being…” he repeated. “You are a new goddess.”

“Yes.” He could almost feel her smile.

“We must get you dressed and inside,” he said quickly. “This is quite unexpected.”

Phoenix stood, unashamed and unconcerned about her state. She brushed a light dusting of dirt from her skin and tilted her head at him again.

“Dressed? Why must I be dressed?” she asked. “And why must we be inside? I like it out here.”

She sounded confused and disappointed. Raiden struggled to explain. He could hardly even remember the beginning of his own existence. How must it have been for her?

“It is not appropriate for you to be undressed outside the privacy of your quarters,” he answered.

“But I have no quarters."

He exhaled, both amused and exasperated. It was a relief that the temple was empty for the most part, save for Fujin. He couldn’t imagine walking her through a busier area.

“That is something that can be resolved in the temple.”

She hummed for a moment, as if considering his proposal. “Very well. I shall follow you, then?”

With her padding at his heels, he led her into the temple, praying that Fujin wouldn’t happen across them. The young goddess should have privacy until she understood social convention. Goddess or not, she was in a vulnerable state and Raiden wanted her more secure before she was faced with more.

As of that moment, he couldn’t even offer her his own clothing without having to half-strip himself, which was sure to have confused her further. He found a small closet of spare clothing, stocked with undershirts and thin robes, loose pants that he doubted would fit her. He selected a long linen robe and offered it to her, keeping his eyes elsewhere. She accepted it without complaint and shook it out.

“So, I put it on like this…? Ah, no, I see now. Like this…” There was much rustling and then silence. “This is correct, yes?”

Raiden hazarded a glance in her direction and sighed, shoulders untensing when he saw that she’d figured it out on her own. Well, it was inside out, but it was close enough that he wouldn’t point it out. He didn’t want to risk an attempt to fix her mistake.

“That’s correct,” he replied.

With her finally decent, he was able to take her in.

Though some of her features were similar to the rest of the gods, there were some noticeable markers of difference. Her hair wasn’t uniform white as his and Fujin’s was. While it was snow white at the roots, it faded into pale purple towards the ends. Her eyes were a deep violet. There were markings on her face and shoulders and arms, translucent but still visible.

She beamed, teeth gleaming white. “I am already learning so much, but there is still a lot I want to know!”

Her eyes were wide and starry, filled with childlike curiosity. Raiden could already see a thousand questions on the tip of her tongue and hastened to delay the flood.

“Let us continue,” he encouraged. “I will make tea and we can discuss your newfound existence.”

Whatever she was about to ask fell to the wayside. “Tea sounds delicious. Yes, please.”

Though she was full of energy, Phoenix didn’t speak again as Raiden guided her to the kitchen. She sauntered beside him, a subtle bounce in her step. Her gaze was always wandering, catching one objects and then flicking away again.

Upon reaching the kitchen, she sat at the table he directed her to, fidgeting with the robe when it shifted on her body. Raiden waited until their tea was prepared before he began asking questions.

“Do you know who I am, young one?” he asked.

She sipped her tea, stuck her tongue out when she discovered it to be too hot. Collected herself again to answer.

“Of course. You are Raiden, god of thunder,” she chirped, “and I am not young. I have existed for a very long time— in spirit, if not in form.”

Of course. As Cetrion was goddess of virtue, the principle of virtue would exist whether her physical form did or not. Had Raiden ceased to exist, the sky would still shake with thunder and lightning.

“And what are you goddess of?”

She smiled. “Love.”

Love…

Never before had a god or goddess of love taken form. Why now? Why there? Raiden was flabbergasted. How could she possibly fit in a world such as theirs? A deity of war, he could have understood. But love?

“Ah,” he said weakly, “I see.”

She hummed, sipped at her now-tolerable drink with relish. Despite the bright, energetic aura that surrounded her, she sat still as stone, feet flat on the ground. She didn’t prop   
her elbows on the edge of the table and held her cup in both hands. The liquid within was flat, as if resting on a flat surface.

Phoenix moved and spoke like someone unused to their body. Which, he supposed, she was. Being sentient must have been disorienting.

“How much do you know of this world?” he asked.

Her eyes drifted down to her tea as she considered her answer.

“I know many things— I know language, the proper names for things. I know the gods in the pantheon, their names and their duties and some of their histories. I know how celestial bodies orbit around each other, the relation of other realms to ours. I know how energy shifts and fades and gathers itself.”

She paused, eyes flicking up to him. The air around her shifted to something a touch more solemn. It matched her tone of voice, lower and quieter on her next words.

“I know the importance of a life, of protecting the innocent. I know what I was put here to do and why.”

Raiden felt his shoulders relax a little further. As a goddess of love, he couldn’t imagine her being evil, and yet… he did not discount any possibility. She was not another Shinnok— and she would remain that way if he had anything to say about it.

In the next moment, Phoenix brightened again, a sheepish smile on her face.

“However, there are a lot of things I don’t know yet. Like clothing! Strange to me, but I wish to learn. This world is my home now and I want to be a part of it,” she said.

Raiden smiled at her, pleased by her earnestness. She was a late addition to the pantheon, but… oddly refreshing, despite his reservations about her naiveté.

“Then you will learn.”

And he would not fail her.

*MANY CENTURIES LATER*

“Can you see, like, anything at all?” the man her dad had ever so graciously hooked her up with asked. Brought new meaning to the phrase “blind date.”

Nix sighed in exasperation for the thousandth time that night. Twenty minutes in, and she could already tell the guy was just trying to get another notch on his belt, if that. The son of one of her dad’s business partners, Tony (or Tommy... Thomas?) had been nothing but rude and intrusive all night, without giving her opportunity to fully answer, much less ask questions of her own.

“No, I'm completely blind. Have been since I was about 12.”

It wasn’t like she was embarrassed about it. Nix didn’t mind explaining her blindness to people who were genuinely curious. To her it was just a stroke of bad luck, something she’d learned to adapt to. Lightning had struck her one summer night, after she’d stayed out too late to watch a thunderstorm. When she’d woken up in the hospital, her world had been almost completely black. She could still see vague shapes in broad daylight, but in the dark there was nothing.

“That’s crazy. Kinda figured your eyes would be all cloudy. My grandpa had cataracts so I expected it,” Tim(?) said as he chewed obnoxiously into his steak.

The restaurant was nice; she’d eaten there with her family on her last birthday, but she wanted nothing more than to leave at the moment. The quiet, calm murmur of voices usually meshed beautifully with unobtrusive classical music to create the perfect background noise. However, the sound of his knife and fork grinding against his plate and the squish, squish, squish of his steak rolling around his mouth like a wet paper towel was driving her insane.

“Uh, yeah… well, it’s a little different...”

The date didn’t last long after that. Refusing his offer to drive her home, she called a cab and vowed to never trust her father’s taste in men again. Nix had no idea why he was even trying; it seemed more like something her mother would do. Perhaps she’d had a hand in this particular disaster. After all, her mother had been trying to persuade her into the life of a housewife since she’d been sixteen, but Nix had never wanted that.

She had her own successful flower shop and butterfly sanctuary that brought in plenty of attention and money. Meanwhile, her brother had shown plenty of aptitude for inheriting the family company and Nix was more than happy to hand him the title of Golden Child. Her parents were probably just worrying in their own, overbearing way, but she’d had enough for one night.

Thankfully, the cabbie was nice and quiet and left the music on low, which helped alleviate her headache from the overstimulation. She made it home in less than twenty minutes and headed straight for bed.

Nix didn’t need her cane in her apartment or in the greenhouse/sanctuary/flower shop below it. It had taken some time, but she’d memorized the layout of the entire building, from every flower pot to overhanging branch. The only times she tripped up was when her one employee moved things around without remembering to warn her.

Samantha was an ex-con and gangbanger that had recently been released from prison on parole and was trying to turn her life around. She had a lovely voice, albeit loud at times, but she was strong and helped with deliveries. Samantha was a great addition to the business, and she kept Nix from talking to herself of the plants too much.  
Wriggling beneath the covers, she stretched out with a yawn and settled in. Yes, it was definitely better to have company.

Sometimes the silence was as deafening as any noise.


	2. Chapter 2

There was something new in the air. A gentle stirring of fate that few would notice, or even understand if they did. It ruffled the clothes of mortals that walked on all the realms. The plants and trees rooted deep in the fertile ground welcomed it as a familiar energy. Butterflies fluttering in the warm Earthrealm air seemed more energetic than usual, sending scientists and specialists into a frenzy with this new behavior, eager to learn and experiment.

This warm, electric phenomena carried on the atmosphere and finally reached even the Sky Temple, where two divine brothers were enjoying a cup of tea following a midday sparring match. Fujin thought nothing of it, assumed it was a wayward breeze of his own creation. Raiden froze with his cup halfway to his lips and peered around the temple frantically.

"Brother, are you alright?" Fujin inquired.

"Do you feel that?"

Fujin scanned the immediate area, confused, but there had been no significant change to the landscape in the last several moments. Nothing that would warrant such a reaction from his usually stoic counterpart.

Raiden leapt to his feet and sprinted to the other side of the pavilion, following the strange breeze. It felt so familiar. No, not just familiar. “Familiar” implied that something had been forgotten, but Raiden hadn’t forgot this. Could never forget this.

He skidded to a stop at the very edge of the garden, panting hard. There was a single, solitary rose in full bloom, a delicate Monarch Butterfly perched in its center, drinking nectar. Knees trembling, Raiden sunk to the ground staring at it in disbelief. Fujin had followed close behind and could only gaze on as his own confusion melted into sorrow and understanding.

"Fujin, do you know what this means?" He whispered.

"She has returned."

"After all these years… "

"Brother?" Fujin stepped closer to Raiden to put a heavy hand on his shoulder. His brother had mourned for centuries, watching the gardens of the realms for any sign of her return, always to no avail.

Fujin himself had lost hope some decades ago, but had never stopped tending to his sister's gardens or creatures she loved so dearly. It was the least he could do when Raiden was too grief-stricken to even look at them. When she returned, she’d be so excited and pleased to find that it had been maintained in her absence— if not quite flourishing without her touch.

"Ha!" Fujin jumped at the sudden exclamation. "The clever girl! I knew she would return! I must get her clothes ready for when she comes home, the kitchen needs to be stocked, the gardens, her favorite teas! Fujin!"

He stood back again as Raiden surged to his feet, bustling for the temple and still muttering to himself almost incoherently. Fujin followed at a more sedate pace, his mind swirling with a mix of relieved disbelief and paranoid dread. As excited as he was for her return, he prayed to the elder gods that this wouldn’t end in disaster again. 

"Raiden, we don't know for sure she has returned."

"Fujin, this is the only sure sign we have seen in millennia that she has returned. Are you doubting it?"

"I'm not doubting it! I am just..." 

"Brother, I know you miss her too. Come with me. We can see her together." Raiden held his arm out as a sign of trust. Never one to fight with his brother, and never about this, Fujin took his arm and with a crack of thunder they were gone. 

* * *

"Up next is the butterfly room! Remember, be careful where you step. You don't want to hurt them!"

A series of excited oohs and ahs followed behind Nix, the second graders thrilled to see the same butterflies they were learning about in school. This was her favorite part of the job, and where the majority of her income came from. She received calls almost weekly from the local schools to give field trips about botany and the life cycle of her beautiful creatures.

Nix loved kids, and hoped to have some of her own one day. That is, if she could find someone that didn't treat her like glass or found a way to make her feel uncomfortable. Until that day came, however, she would tend to her shop and live vicariously through elementary schoolers. 

"Now, can anyone tell me how butterflies start? Let’s see… how about… Daniel! Can you tell me how butterflies start?”

“Um, butterflies start as, um, like, caperpitters? And then they eat, um, leaves and stuff?” 

Daniel’s voice was small and timid, more than likely he didn't like being singled out, but the supervising teacher had told Nix that he’d been the most enthusiastic about this trip. Talking about it every time he came into class, always had his hand raised and mouth open about some new fact he had learned the previous night that he was excited to share.

“More often than not,” the teacher had said over the phone, “we would let him lead the group projects. He’s such an enthusiastic learner!”

“That’s right!” Nix chirped. “Come up and get a sucker.”

The excited gasp and the little pitter-patter of his shoes were evidence of just how excited he was. They continued with the tour, completely unaware of the deities watching them from across the street.

Raiden was flabbergasted. It was her. His wife was back! "Fujin, do you see her? She looks as beautiful as she did before!"

"I see her, brother, but we do not know how she is physically. We need to get closer." Raiden smirked at his brother, very uncharacteristically for people who aren't that close to the thunder god, but Fujin knew better and cut him off before he said anything. "Do not say it, Raiden."

"I was not-"

"Yes, you were." They teleported to the alley behind the sanctuary and changed their appearances to better blend in and quietly slipped through the back door, the brothers equal parts eager and afraid of what they would find.

  
  
  
  



End file.
